![physicseditor alternative physicseditor alternative](https://windows-cdn.softpedia.com/screenshots/PhysicsEditor_3.png)
That is, using preprint servers requires community buy-in to the concept that such papers are not “real” papers yet, but only “extra-early view” versions of a work that might change significantly before reaching the version of record in a peer-reviewed journal. If it does not have a published companion version in a peer-reviewed journal within a year of posting on a preprint server, then please ignore that preprint. In general, do not cite an older preprint at such a server (say, more than a year old), but instead cite the accepted and published version of that work once it makes it into a journal. While the preprint server can help speed up the flow of scientific discovery, it cannot replace the vetting done by a reputable peer-reviewed journal. That’s the job of the journal editor and the reviewers who provide assessments of the work. Well, not quite anything, there is an advisory board that does a light screening for topic-appropriate content, but this group does not rigorously examine the study. The biggest warning is that preprint servers are not a replacement for peer-reviewed journals because anything can be posted there. Preprint servers have benefits for scientific advancement, but remember the warnings about them, too. Also, I highly encourage you to sign up for regular content alerts from ESSOAr, which will allow you to see the latest from your colleagues, even before it is officially published. I highly encourage you to click this little button the next time that you are submitting to an AGU journal. Here’s a fun graphic I made with the journals to which a space physicist might submit a manuscript.
![physicseditor alternative physicseditor alternative](https://windows-cdn.softpedia.com/screenshots/PhysicsEditor_10.png)
AGU is now expanding this option to be available for all 22 of its journals. This pilot program has been deemed a success, with 30% of authors opting to post their new submission at ESSOAr. Back in June, JGR Space Physics became one of the journals to pilot a one-click transfer within GEMS to have your new submission simultaneously posted on ESSOAr, the Earth and Space Science Open Archive.